<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Like a moth to the flame by Elysandra</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25152535">Like a moth to the flame</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elysandra/pseuds/Elysandra'>Elysandra</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Triumvirate [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sanctuary (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>D/s, Domme!Helen, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Multi, OT3, Teslen Appreciation Week, mentions of previous play, musings about dynamic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:40:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,160</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25152535</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elysandra/pseuds/Elysandra</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a normal evening in the life of Kate Freelander, as normal as any relationship with two immortal and quite headstrong beings can ever be.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Helen Magnus/Nikola Tesla/Kate Freelander</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Triumvirate [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1822084</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Tumblr Teslen Appreciation Week</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Like a moth to the flame</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kate kneels.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Persian rug presses into her knees, only slightly softer than the tiles underneath. Rough threads show no give as she runs her fingertips across.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Time ticks by. Each second excites, and her impatience grows.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She isn’t good at keeping still. At waiting. Especially not this excited. But the memory of Helen’s look pins her in place, like a butterfly in a showcase. She’s the first thing Helen’s eyes will land on when she returns to the room.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>[half an hour - or an eternity - earlier]</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Sooo," Kate finds herself hedging, resting her hip against the edge of the desk as she waits for Helen to finish jotting down some after-call notes. "I was thinking..."<br/><br/></p>
<p>"Yes?" Helen says, finally capping her pen. <br/><br/></p>
<p>"I read about this thing online that I really wanna try. Can I top tonight?" <br/><br/></p>
<p>Helen pushes back to stand, not answering right away, and Kate straightens as well, on instinct, feeling the need for a proper stance. Well-balanced. Well prepared to argue her ground.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But the moment stretches out, and she can feel her chances slip through her fingers as the silence lingers. Helen has a way of letting silence talk for her when she's in this mood. And not in the 'raised eyebrow' way, the 'I'm smirking because we both know the answer' way. No, this silence includes her body language. It's all encompassing. It's a very bad sign for Kate’s chances tonight.<br/><br/></p>
<p>"Nikola already agreed," she adds, scrambling to stay on top, reaching for the proverbial straw as Helen looks at her, studies her.<br/><br/></p>
<p>"No."<br/><br/></p>
<p>Kate wants to protest, but swallows her words under Helen’s stony gaze. Her heartbeat quickens as Helen runs her fingertips along her jaw, thoughts completely hidden to Kate. Then her touch changes, she takes hold of Kate’s chin, her skin cool, her grip strong.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They both know perfectly well that chin grips are one of Kate’s subspace buttons, but that doesn’t change the fact that it works flawlessly, every time. Just like now. Helen tips Kate's head back just a bit, forces her to look up at her, to face her straight on. Kate moans at the look in her eyes.<br/><br/></p>
<p>"<em>You</em> are going to be on your knees tonight. And so is Nikola." <br/><br/></p>
<p>And Kate finds herself agreeing, a small, breathless "yes" that is so ludicrously far from the tone of someone able to top anything at all that she would have had to fight back a laugh if she wasn't that captivated by Helen's eyes. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>God, those eyes! </p>
<p> </p>
<p>She can’t deny the arousal any longer. Her breathing is audible in the silent room, her heartbeat loud in her own ears. And, of course, the flush of hotness, the feeling of wetness... The feeling that only grows when Helen doesn't acknowledge her answer, lets it echo in the silence. She runs her thumb over Kate's bottom lip instead, before she rests her hand lightly at Kate's neck, only the barest hint of a grip. Just the way that makes any dominant thought so utterly, utterly impossible for Kate. The way that makes her want to sink to her knees right then and there. She whimpers, quiet, aroused. And really wishes she could hide her reactions better. But alas...<br/><br/></p>
<p>A hint of pressure tells her to move, and with another, barely suppressed moan at being directed like that, Kate allows herself to be led out of the office, all the way to Helen's rooms. Their rooms. The site of many a naughty scene. The site of one Kate Freelander very much not topping anyone tonight.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>[the present, a moment apparently frozen in time, or at least moving at less than a snail</em> <em>’s pace to Kate’s mind]</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kate bites her lip, scratches her nails across the unforgiving rug, trying to distract herself from the warmth deep in her stomach. And from the pain in her knees.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The scratches rattle in the silence.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She closes her eyes, thinks back. Sighs longingly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>That hard look, that cold sparkle-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There are foot steps outside, moments before the door opens. Turning, Kate watches Nikola stroll in. He looks at her, then checks the room with a quick glance. The room turns up empty, as she could have told him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>His eyes return to her.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Like a butterfly on display. Oh, as if. Frail beauty and all... Maybe a beetle?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Already got your first orders of the night?” Nikola observes, getting comfortable. He sounds amused. His jacket draped across the back of a chair, his tie loosened, he takes off his shoes, then picks up the bottle of wine he brought.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I thought you wanted to top?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The cork pops, and Kate listens to the gurgling sound of the deep red wine filling his glass.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah.” She sighs, shifting minutely. Her backside’s still smarting from a few days ago. She enjoys the reminder, enjoys the constant low level arousal it brings. A repeat this soon sounds far less enticing, though. “I pitched the idea to Helen. She... wasn’t exactly in a subby mood.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She could have known, Helen never is after having had to wrangle a number of different people back in line. Fresh off the phone, the head of network energy had still been sizzling around her when Kate walked in. Energy just waiting for an outlet.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It had been worth a try, though.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“She got that hard look in her eyes that always has me melt on the spot.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mh, yes. Those eyes, and the touch of Helen’s hand, holding her chin, then resting at her neck. That alone... </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nikola stands in front of the cold fireplace, his back to her. The absence of contact only lets the memory burn hotter, though, the arousal grow sharper. She licks her lips repeatedly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“The one that lets you know things will go exactly as she wants them to go, or else,” she continues. For him? Or herself? “I... may have moaned. And that was it. Fate sealed.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The memory has her shift restlessly, rekindling the formerly complacent warmth into acute arousal. She really has no defence against that mood, none at all. Deliciously vulnerable...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ah, yes.” Nikola nods slowly. “<em>That</em> look.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He turns and throws her an amused look as he sinks into an armchair, swirling the wine around the wide glass. He acts like he’s humouring her, but he’s clearly aroused as well. He’s definitely thinking about Helen right now, probably imagines her looking at him like that.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kate smirks, and finds herself eyeing the other chair, the cold, dark fireplace. The soft cushions would be nice, a warm fire even nicer.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But Helen’s orders stand.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>[ten, maybe fifteen minutes earlier. So long ago...]</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They arrive at their destination, greeted by an empty room, and Helen wordlessly directs Kate in front of the bed, just by the pressure on her neck. Then her grip changes, her fingers sink into Kate’s hair, and pull, hard. Kate gasps at the sudden sharp pain, and finds her mouth claimed by Helen’s a moment later. Her head pulled back as far as possible, she gets kissed, hard, deep, until her lungs feel like bursting and her knees are ready to buckle at any moment.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And they do, they actually buckle under her when Helen gives her free a moment later, watches her stumble against the bedpost, breathless and weak.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“On your knees,” she tells Kate, unmoved by the results of her ‘assault’. “And if Nikola turns up: I want him on his knees, next to you, holding a glass of wine for me. Nothing else.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kate nods, sinks slowly to her knees, but Helen has already turned away, strolling across the room towards the bathroom. “Wait there. I’m going to freshen up.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kate nods again, eyes glued to her, staring with needy desire until the very last second, and wondering what her plans for the evening are.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Definitely a scene with only one lead, that much is obvious. The question is: Does Nikola agree?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>[the present, where her smarting knees tell her Helen is taking ages while her smarting backside seems afraid time</em> <em>’s rapidly running out]</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Helen can be delightfully merciless,” Nikola muses, tasting his wine. He seems satisfied, with the wine, with his observation...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kate moans a little at his words, pressing her thighs together in a vain attempt at relief. Nikola watches knowingly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It makes her think of Helen’s eyes as she watches them suffer, or when she’s about to cause them pain - the sight is just such a turn on! Completely unmoved, or darkly amused, miles above being touched by any pleading words either way. No words, no moans, no whimpers. Nothing can soften the hardness then.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It’s the most insanely arousing thing Kate has ever encountered. It has her insides melt within the blink of an eye. Air seems to rush out of her lungs in a whoosh under the weight of Helen’s will, her gaze to drop to the floor almost like a survival instinct, offering the proverbial throat. Such an addictive feeling!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yes, quite,” she agrees, long past his observation, as her thoughts return to the present. Well, she hadn’t been the only one on Helen’s mind earlier.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So, are you gonna hand her the reigns as well tonight?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nikola rolls the stem of his glass between his fingers, pondering.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I haven’t decided yet.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kate bites her lip, hiding a grin at what she’s about to disclose.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, you might want to decide soon, because Helen gave me clear instructions for you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>That gets her the expected side-eye from Nikola.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Which I assume you were supposed to tell me about the moment I arrived?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kate shrugs, the grin breaking free. “She never specified.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nikola narrows his eyes at her, but she learned that loophole tactic from him, he can’t fault her for it now.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Anyway, you’re supposed to be on your knees as well, with a glass of wine for her in your hands. And only for her.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He gives a surprised laugh, clearly thrilled and maybe a little impressed by that challenge.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh, I’m most certainly not going to do that!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He takes a sip of his wine, an errant chuckle escaping into the glass.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’d think twice about that,” Kate says, almost an aside. He won’t heed her words, and she’s already looking forward to seeing events unfold accordingly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“She doesn’t expect me to follow that order,” he brushes her concerns off, as expected.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A delighted shiver runs down Kate’s back, nerves tingling with the excitement of the forbidden. He really loves playing with fire, doesn’t he? To talk like this when he <em>must</em> have noticed Helen’s presence in the bathroom by now. Maybe...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, those were her words...” she trails off, thoughts running wild as she imagines Helen’s reaction.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m sure. But those are just a precursor to punishment.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Oh yes, this path definitely leads to punishment. His carefree attitude seems to feed Kate’s own inner daredevil, though, and has her eye the free armchair more seriously. Maybe she’s a moth rather than a butterfly, drawn to the fire. Maybe...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So,” she says, starting to feel giddy as well as aroused. She hears the bathroom door open even as she opens her mouth, but her inner fire loving moth pushes the words out anyway. “Maybe I shouldn’t be kneeling either?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Heels click, harsh on the tiles, and Kate’s eyes widen as she watches an utterly stone-faced Helen Magnus sweep across the room, definitely having heard each word. She’s not even looking at Kate, but oh, she’s pinned in place alright. Utterly frozen, any idea of moving, of possibly disobeying, flying right out of her mind. Any daring moth thoughts wilt away, now that she’s facing the ‘fire’, any giddiness evaporating. Replaced by deep, breathtaking arousal, and a faint thrill of adrenaline.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh, I <em>absolutely</em> expect you to be kneeling, Kate,” Helen says, her voice cold enough to make Kate shiver at the sound alone, and shift restlessly, searching for relief at the onslaught of arousal. <em>That</em> look is directed straight at Nikola as she speaks, Kate’s obedience a given, and he actually chokes on a sip of wine when he catches sight of her. He doesn’t quite manage to regain his air of nonchalance after that.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Helen stops in front of him, takes his glass of wine and doesn’t meet any resistance. Nikola swallows visibly as she empties the glass, right then and there. It’s obvious those words were primarily directed at him, and man, this night is going to be amazing!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Shifting on her knees, Kate bites her lip hard so as not to accidentally grin when there’s a chance that Helen might see it. Her backside <em>is</em> still smarting, after all; it’s better not to risk anything right now.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nikola is in for it though, there’s no saving him now. And Kate’s determined to watch him go down, closely, every single moment. After all, watching him burn is the next best thing to burning herself!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Not written for but fitting for Teslen Appreciation Week, Day 5: "Light" (good thing OT3 counts as Teslen in this case - I asked ;)</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>